The late 1970s and early 1980s saw a shift in American buyer behavior. The fuel crises brought demand for improved fuel economy, something import cars at the time offered. European and Japanese brands were sometimes seen as having superior engineering when compared to American vehicles, so imports started to become more mainstream, and General Motors saw it happening.
Accordingly, Chevrolet launched a Eurosport trim level on its volume-selling midsize car, the Celebrity, in 1984 as a way to fight back to some extent.
The intent was noble, but the execution was a little half-hearted. In the end, the “Euro” treatment amounted to primarily cosmetic updates, but as we’ll see, there were at least a few engineering features that attempted to make it more than just a badge. The tough thing for GM was that the Celebrity had a markedly cookie-cutter, square shape that did little to get anyone’s heart rate up. It rode on the A-body platform that was concurrently leveraged for other cars such as the Buick Century, Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera, and Pontiac 6000.
For 1984 Celebritys, the Eurosport package boiled down to this list of items:
- Blacked-out exterior and instrument panel trim
- Red exterior accent stripe and badging
- Sport steering wheel
- Fast-ratio power steering
- Performance axle ratio
- F41 Sport Suspension (sport-tuned springs, gas-charged struts, and large stabilizer bars)
- P195/75-R14 blackwall, all-season, steel-belted radials on Rally Wheels
Did the equipment actually deliver tangible results? In the June 1986 issue of Road & Track, the Celebrity Eurosport was pitted against the Audi 5000S and the Mercury Sable LS. The Celebrity ranked last in staff ratings, though not by much.
Editors said, “A car of extremes compared with the Audi, the Chevrolet Eurosport did not instill as much initial confidence.” But it wasn’t all bad feedback. In the summary, the story said, “The Eurosport was the most convenient and comfortable, biased toward the passengers, yet it was ready to tiger should the driver want to push it.”
Some of the marketing materials for the Celebrity Eurosport worked hard to make it sound like a sports car. “The unmistakable wedge tapering to a black-out grille. Hot color stripe. Flaming hot engine numerals. Big steel-belted radials waiting to grip the road.”
Even more interesting was that the Eurosport package could be added to any body style — coupe, sedan, and station wagon. Chevrolet said, “If you’re now asking how to handle your cargo as well as your favorite road, Celebrity Eurosport Wagon is just the affordable answer.”
I suppose sporty station wagons are still a “thing.” I mean, look at the Genesis G90 Wingback. Maybe Genesis just needs to add red badging and call it a Eurosport.
All of this gives me an idea for my Integra Type R…
